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Team News
Michael Owen is seemingly ready to make a comeback; he has seemingly recovered from a hamstring problem which kept him out since the end of October. Charlie Adam missed Stoke’s match against Spurs as he was granted compassionate leave due to the death of his father. Whether he returns for this one is doubtful. Marc Wilson and Rory Delap have both been ruled out of this clash.
Raheem Sterling was rested for Liverpool at the weekend but might return for this one. Joe Allen might not play as he currently has a pelvic problem. Fabio Borini and Martin Kelly are both out of this one while Oussama Assaidi is doubtful.
Analysis
A casual observer of the Premier League will be able to describe Stoke’s game plan with ease. Stoke City will park the bus and play on the counter-attack. They will use throw-ins to send the ball into the penalty area whenever possible. They will try and use set-pieces to score. Despite a game plan which is not similar to Liverpool at all, they are behind Liverpool in the table only on goal difference.
Liverpool meanwhile seems to have finally grasped the concept of football which Brendan Rodgers is trying to teach them. They performed magnificently against Fulham. They have been in good form recently; their defeat to Aston Villa was almost an anomaly. Stoke has collected twelve points in their previous six matches. Liverpool has collected ten on the other hand.
Previous Meetings
Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
Liverpool 2-1 Stoke
Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
Stoke 1-2 Liverpool
Stoke 1-0 Liverpool
Previous Results
Tottenham 0-0 Stoke
Stoke 1-1 Everton
Aston Villa 0-0 Stoke
West Brom 0-1 Stoke
Stoke 2-1 Newcastle
Liverpool 4-0 Fulham
Liverpool 1-3 Aston Villa
West Ham 2-3 Liverpool
Udinese 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool 1-0 Southampton
Prediction
Stoke 0-0 Liverpool
